First paragraph:
In parliamentary democracies where no single party commands
a legislative majority, coalitions - whether governmental
and/or legislative in nature - are necessary in order to
form a legitimate government.1 Such 'coalitions' can take
many forms and are best described as 'multi-party governance
arrangements' (Boston and Bullock, 2009). Their varied
nature, both over time and between countries, reflects
differences in bargaining environments, including
constitutional rules and conventions, the character of the
party system, the parliamentary arithmetic and parties'
preferences and commitments.

Figures and
Tables:

Table 1. Seat distribution after the New Zealand
general elections since 1993

Table 2. New Zealand's multi-party governance
arrangements under MMP

Table 3. The strengths and weaknesses of different
modes of inter-party discipline

Last Paragraph:
New Zealand's experiments with multi-party governance since
the mid-1990s highlight that innovative solutions to the
unity-distinctiveness dilemma are possible under certain
political conditions, but also that all solutions are
constrained by prevailing constitutional rules and political
norms. Even where major parties agree to provide significant
opportunities for public dissent - as in the 2005 and 2008
hybrid arrangements - there are strong political pressures
for governing parties to 'sing the same song' and, moreover,
to 'sing in tune'. These pressures arise partly from the
unanimity principle and its underlying notion of
reciprocity: parties enjoying the benefits of office, and
expecting support for their favoured policy positions from
their 'coalition' partners, are obliged to share the
responsibilities of office and provide support for their
coalition partners in achieving their political objectives.
Equally, governments that constantly bicker seem destined to
lose political credibility (and hence votes); they will also
have difficulty realizing their collective purposes. Despite
these limits, hybrid arrangements have proved attractive in
New Zealand - to major and minor parties alike. It remains
uncertain, however, whether this support will endure in the
face of evolving political circumstances and parliamentary
dynamics, and whether other jurisdictions will embrace
similar arrangements.